Ten years ago, Mike Allred woke up from a vivid dream with the inspiration for a comic book series, a movie a nd an album. He quickly set to work, creating the sci-fi/rock 'n' roll story Red Rocket 7, a labor of love that manages to integrate aliens, spaceships, robots and clones into the history of rock n’ roll from the 1950s right up until today. Originally published as a series by Dark Horse in the late 1990s, the dark days of the comics industry, the book is back in print now in a .45-record-sized collection from Image (Allred’s low-budget companion film, Astroesque, has yet to be picked up by Criterion). In an interview with PW Comics Week, Allred reflected on the original publication of Red Rocket 7 as well as this new edition; his love of rock ‘n’ roll and he looked forward to an a full slate of new projects. Those projects include the ongoing Madman series at Image, the slow-going development of a Madman film, a Marvel collaboration with Matt Fraction as well as a mysterious team-up planned with Neil Gaiman.
PWCW: How did the connection to Image with the new Red Rocket 7 collection come about? And was the impetus mainly the anniversary?
Mike Allred: It started with a mutual admiration party with [former Image publisher and cartoonist] Erik Larsen. We've done some crossovers with my Madman/Atomics characters, and so when it came time to launch a new Madman series I was impressed to be able to hide under the Image Comics umbrella after talking to Erik about it. From there, I was met with unexpected enthusiasm from the production team, particularly from Image's marketing director, Joe Keatinge who is a huge fan of Red Rocket 7. Realizing it was coming up on 10 years since the original release, I was asked if they could publish a new anniversary edition of the book. I was easily convinced, especially since I was excited to see it come out in the "45" size we now see.
PWCW: Why was it so desirable to shrink it down?
MA: I felt the art would read better smaller. Seeing it now, I think I was right.
PWCW: How do you think the work holds up?
MA: Pretty good. I much prefer the smaller size and glossy stock paper. I also think the "contemporary" music acts that are represented towards the end of the story are still significant today. There's very little music in the past 10 years that I feel has broken much new ground. Just my opinion.
PWCW: In Robert Rodriguez's introduction, he mentions that the story came to you in a dream. Is that a source of inspiration for other of your comics work, or was this experience unique?
MA: It was unique in the scope of the inspiration. But I have very vivid dreams that I pull from constantly. Just in smaller bits.
PWCW: Red Rocket 7 touches on a lot of deep elements—relationships, the power of music, faith, etc.—and yet it has an almost unrefined quality to it, as if you didn't so much labor over the plot but rather fleshed it out in a rush. Is that how the book came together?
MA: First, let me try and figure out if I just got slapped. Hah! To be honest I don't remember laboring over it at all. So maybe that's a more than fair assessment. That whole year was a mad rush—making the movie, recording the album, writing and drawing the comic. It was great fun researching all the various historical pop culture events that I wanted to tie into the plot. And though it could be described as labor intensive, I feel the best rock 'n' roll is unrefined and organic in its creation and too much polish can suck the life out of it.
PWCW: You obviously have a lot of love of music as well as knowledge of it and its history. Do you still keep closely involved with music and musicians?
MA: Yeah. Especially lately. Mostly going back and forth a lot with Gerard Way in another kicky "mutual admiration" relationship, and The Dandy Warhols remain great friends. I've been hanging around with Courtney Taylor quite a bit lately, even helping him turn a terrific screenplay he's written about the German punk scene of the late '70s into a graphic novel. Joe Keatinge and I are hooking him up with Toby Cypress, an artist we both really like. Courtney was even at our Red Rocket 7 anniversary party at Neon Monster in San Francisco last month.
PWCW: Are you still playing?
MA: Very little. I have enough material to make another album, but I'm concentrating 100 percent on comics for the foreseeable future.
PWCW: Are you very interested in how music has changed since Red Rocket 7 originally came out?
MA: Always. But again, very little hits me in new striking ways. I was hugely impressed with The Black Parade on every level. Best concept album since The Wall. The most interesting new stuff I've been hearing comes from older artists like Radiohead or Beck. And the indie moves The Dandies have been making with their own studio facilities, record label and green projects are very exciting.
There's a lot of new and newer stuff I like, and older stuff that slipped below my radar before. Just off the top of my head... Arcade Fire, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, My Morning Jacket, Flaming Lips, The Warlocks, Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, TV On The Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Raveonettes, Cold War Kids, Death Cab/Postal Service, Louis IVX, Killers, Tegan and Sara, Low...The Strokes had some heat going there for awhile, and I'm still hoping Anton Newcombe can bring the Brian Jonestown Massacre back to greatness.
PWCW: In some ways, Red Rocket 7 seems to almost presage your current Madman run, with its focus on existentialism, outer space adventures and eternal relationships. Do you see the two projects as connected in any way, even just in your mindset as you created them?
MA: I can't deny that pretty much all of my own work that I write myself runs along existential themes, beginning with my first published work, Dead Air. I think it pulses in more surfaced ways from time to time. The themes fascinate and disturb me, which then inspire escape via that lighter desire for frothy poppy fun. It's a see-saw.
PWCW: On Madman, how did the partnership with Darwyn Cooke come about?
MA: Again, it started with that whole "mutual admiration" thing. Probably the niftiest benefit of making a living in the creative arts is the exposure to other creative individuals. Years ago when Darwyn was revamping Catwoman with Ed Brubaker, who is an old friend, he was asked to make a dream list of artists he would want to ink his pencils. Ed told me I was at the top, and would I be interested? To everyone's surprise, I'd seen some of Dar's stuff and fell instantly in love. Of course, I said yes.
From there, we just got real tight. Even Dar coming out and staying with us on the Oregon coast. He was even our "fifth Beatle" when I was part of revamping X-Force with Peter Milligan via [editors] Axel Alonso and Joe Quesada at Marvel. He has always been eager to play. Then out of the blue, he asked if I'd "let him" do a Madman story. I told him "no way", but after hours of him begging and sobbing, I eventually gave in. And so you'll see Dar and mutual bud, J. Bone, guest star in Madman Atomic Comics #14. I'd take a bullet for those guys.
PWCW: What is keeping you excited about that series after telling Frank Einstein stories for so long now?
MA: That's like asking, ‘Why is the sky blue?’ Seriously, I've built a supporting cast of characters in a world where virtually anything can happen and any kind of story can be told. As long as I'm interested in telling stories at all, I'll be excited to visit Frank Einstein's world.
PWCW: The Red Rocket 7 collection mentions that Robert Rodriguez is still working on a Madman film. Any news on that?
MA: Sprinting at a slug-like pace. Forward, ever forward. The writer's strike really nailed us hard, losing our place in line. But I'm a patient man. And as long as I can make a living doing comics, I'll be a happy man.
PWCW: What else are you working on? Can we expect any collections of other projects?
MA: The second collection of Madman Atomic Comics will come out soon. I just did another issue of Fables. I'm doing a short Thor story for a giant special with Matt Fraction. I eventually want to finish my Golden Plates project. I'll soon be working around the clock on a soon-to-be-announced side project with Neil Gaiman. But for now, other than a quickie project here and there, it's all about Madman.
